Environmental Progress:Transition to the FutureMartin Abraham, Editor, Environmental ProgressProfessor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH 44555
Published online 11 June 2007 in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ep.10206
I am pleased to have been selected as the neweditor of Environmental Progress, and look forwardto working with Wiley and the members of the Envi-ronmental Division for the success of the journal. Iwould like to use this opportunity to provide a briefvision for the future of EP, and to discuss what I seeas its strengths and opportunities for growth. Much ofwhat follows is taken from the vision statement that Iprepared for the search committee as part of theselection process.
Before discussing the future of Environmental Pro-gress, it is important to look back on the past. In par-ticular, I would like to recognize the hard work anddedication of Gary Bennett, my friend and colleagueat the University of Toledo, and the founding editorfor the journal. Gary worked for 25 years in supportof the journal, developing it into an important archivefor research and information in environmental engi-neering. We are all indebted to Gary for his leader-ship and vision in the development of the journal.
My experience in environmental engineering datesback to my first days as a professor, approximately 20years ago, when I initiated my research program incatalytic supercritical water oxidation. Over the years,my interest has moved from waste treatment to greenengineering, and most recently into issues of sustain-able energy. I believe that my career path can beseen as a microcosm of the evolution of environmen-tal engineering, and parallels some of the directionsthat EP has taken over the years. While issues of sus-tainability will continue to grow in importance, wemust not lose sight of the environmental roots thathave spawned this development.
EP has already begun to move its emphasis fromend-of-pipe waste treatment into upstream process-ing, including green engineering and sustainability.This is an important evolution for chemical engineer-ing and for EP as well. As we design new processes
or change existing ones and look at the environmen-tal issues associated with them, we will be faced withthe global reach of the environment. Our ability tounderstand how our efforts within our own commun-ities impact the global environment is increasinglymore important. EP can continue to move into thisarena and expand its emphasis on global environ-mental challenges. Fundamental chemical and envi-ronmental engineering principles must be applied tothe larger global challenges, and Environmental Pro-gress should strive to be a leader in this area.
Environmental Progress remains an essential jour-nal in the environmental field. One of its greatstrengths is its recognition of industrially drivenresearch, and I believe that it is the premiere journalfor industrial environmental research. One area inwhich we can seek to expand our efforts to addmore application-driven research is through recruit-ment of small businesses into the world of scientificpublication. In many respects, small and mediumsized enterprises are leading the development ofnew technologies. These businesses are on the cut-ting edge of very interesting application-drivenresearch, as they are very focused on bottom-lineneeds. Many of these SMEs are working with Univer-sity researchers to understand the fundamental scien-tific principles underpinning their application-ori-ented goals. The academic researchers have a widerange of technical journals in which they can publishtheir fundamental research; however, the applica-tion-driven focus of these efforts is frequently notemphasized. EP can serve as the home for thosecross-cutting efforts that speak to the applicationneeds while simultaneously addressing the scientificfundamentals.
From an administrative perspective, I have alreadystarted working to make the activities of publishingthe journal more electronic in nature. I haverequested that manuscript submissions be made elec-tronically, through e-mail. These electronic manu-scripts are then circulated electronically to reviewers
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throughout the globe. In this way, the journal can bemore responsive to international submissions, andhopefully, we will increase our readership and partic-ipation in the global community. In time, we willmigrate to Wiley’s web-based portal system, whichwill provide real-time 24-h access to the manuscriptsubmission process. Despite moving to an electronicsystem, we will continue to accept paper submissionsso that those individuals in small businesses or with-out good access to the Internet or e-mail can con-tinue to publish in our journal.
I believe that Environmental Progress has a brightfuture in store, building on the solid foundation thatGary Bennett established. Together, we can keep thisas the premiere journal for application-driven, global,environmental research. I appreciate the trust that theEnvironmental Division has placed in me, and lookforward to working with you.
Martin A. Abraham, P.E., received his B.S. inchemical engineering in May 1982 from Rensse-laer Polytechnic Institute and his Ph.D. in May1987 from the University of Delaware. Dr. Abra-ham joined Youngstown State University as Pro-fessor of Chemical Engineering and FoundingDean of the College of Science, Technology,Engineering and Mathematics in July 2007, afterserving as Professor and Dean of the College ofGraduate Studies at the University of Toledo. Dr.Abraham has over 60 refereed publications and
over 100 technical presentations in the area ofgreen engineering and sustainability. He was thechair for the multidisciplinary conference on‘‘Green Engineering: Defining the Principles’’ andthe editor for the book ‘‘Sustainability Science andEngineering: 1. Defining Principles’’, the firstbook in the new Elsevier series on Sustainability,for which he also serves as a co-editor. He alsoserves as editor for the American Institute ofChemical Engineer’s quarterly, EnvironmentalProgress, and is the chair of AIChE’s SustainableEngineering Forum. He is a member of the Ameri-can Chemical Society and Sustainability subcom-mittee chair for their Committee on Environmen-tal Improvement. As part of his current researchin hydrogen generation and fuel cell applications,he serves as the Principal Investigator for the Uni-versity of Toledo for the Wright Fuel Cell Group,Ohio’s Wright Center of Innovation in fuel cells,and is a member of its academic advisory commit-tee. Dr. Abraham serves as a member of theBoard of Advisors for the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalitionand the Board of Governors of the Edison Materi-als Technology Center. He was named the Out-standing Researcher in the UT College of Engi-neering and received the University of ToledoOutstanding Research Award in 1999, was nameda Doermann Distinguished Lecturer for 1999–2000, and received the Dion D. Raftopolous/Sigma Xi Outstanding Research Award in 2006.
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